Six Innovative Library Programs From Around the World

Six Innovative Library Programs From Around the World

The Internet and global mobile technology have made it possible for libraries to reach people in rural and distressed communities in ways that were not possible before. Here are six institutions are that revolutionizing how we think of libraries.

Maarifa Centers — Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania

The Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN) is a nongovernmental organization that seeks to expand access to information technology to the rural areas of East Africa. It has established 15 Maarifa Centers, or Knowledge Centers, in the countries of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Each Knowledge Center is comprised of either a room or a fabricated shipping container. Inside are computers with broadband Internet access as well as research materials. The centers are staffed with ALIN employees who are there to help the community residents learn how to use the technology. They are also there to help them expand the provided resources.

Veria Central Public Library – Northern Greece

Although the town of Veria in Northern Greece has only 50,000 residents, The Veria Central Public Library has been a pioneer in information technology since 1994. Its mobile library program brings library resources, including books, computers, and broadband Internet to the residents of the surrounding rural areas — about 130,000 people.

Additionally, it recently launched a new program known as the Magic Boxes. The Magic Boxes are in the area of the library designed for children. This area has computers with Internet access and a variety of digital media. The goal of the Magic Boxes program is to teach children the digital skills that they will need to succeed in the new economy.

New York Public Library – New York City, U.S.A

The New York Public Library has a service called ASK-NYPL, where a patron may call, text, or email questions to librarians and other staff about other library services, or get help with research. Although this service is designed for quick questions only, it does help busy people who don’t have time to come to the library and access the resources they need. More in-depth research assistance is available for a fee.

Contra Costa County Library – California, U.S.A

The Contra Costa County Library has a unique program called Library-a-Go-Go. It’s a completely automated library book vending machine. Library patrons just swipe their library cards in the machine’s card reader, select the book or books they want via the touch-screen, and the machine dispenses their choices.

Each unit can hold up to 400 books, and users may borrow up to three books at one time. Returning the books is just as simple: the patron just brings them back to the kiosk from which they borrowed them. Check out other innovative library programs like this one here.

Free Library at Philadelphia – Pennsylvania, U.S.A

The Free Library of Philadelphia sponsors Library Hotspots, a program that is similar to the Knowledge Centers in East Africa. Each hotspot includes several computers with broadband Internet access, a printer, and research materials from the library. Staff members are on-site to help community members. There are classes available, too. The hotspots exist throughout the Philadelphia area and are held in various buildings, from community centers to local churches.

Public Libraries all over the U.S.A. and Canada

Libraries throughout North America, are taking advantage of the digital media revolution. By downloading a simple application to their mobile devices or computers, anyone with a library card can access thousands of digital books, videos, and music for free. The service is made possible through cooperation between the libraries and OverDrive, a digital rights management and digital media repository firm.

From packing crates filled with technology to on-demand digital access, public libraries are changing with the times. No longer constrained by geography, these institutions are bringing their resources wherever people live.

Candidacy status is an indication that University of Southern California and the Master of Management in Library and Information Science program have voluntarily committed to participate in the ALA accreditation process and is actively seeking accreditation. Candidacy does not indicate that the program is accredited nor does it guarantee eventual accreditation of the program by ALA. A decision will be made in 2017.

The University of Southern California (USC) is regionally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Accreditation for the Master of Management in Library and Information Science online program was awarded in 2012. WASC, a 501(c)(3) organization, is recognized as one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the United States.
The Western region covers institutions in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and areas of the Pacific and East Asia where American/international schools or colleges may apply to it for service.
The WASC Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities can be contacted at:
985 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 100
Alameda, CA 94501
Office: 510-748-9001, FAX: 510-748-9797
http://www.wascsenior.org/

The Marshall School of Business is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

About AACSB International
AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), founded in 1916, is an association of more than 694 educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations in 45 countries and territories. AACSB's mission is to advance quality management education worldwide through accreditation, thought leadership, and value-added services. As the premier accreditation body for institutions offering undergraduate, master's, and doctorate degrees in business and accounting, the association also conducts a wide array of conferences and seminar programs at locations throughout the world. AACSB's global headquarters is in Tampa, Florida, USA and its Asia Pacific headquarters is in Singapore.

U.S. News and World Report ranks USC #23 in its 2016 national university rankings.

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Hello, my name is Ken Haycock. I’m director of the new online master of management in library and information science program here, at the University of Southern California. I’d like to tell you just a little bit about our approach to learning outcomes for this new program. The MMLIS degree is based on competencies, including those competencies identified by the American Library Association. However, we’ve taken approach of identifying five intelligences that all of our student will demonstrate on graduation. The first is general intelligence which, of course, you have in achieving admittance to graduate school. We believe that this should include an interest in continuing to learn throughout your career. The second intelligence is business. This is the core of librarianship or library and information science, where we learn about libraries and information, its collection, organization, retrieval, dissemination and so on.

The third is organizational intelligence. This is how our unit fits into the larger organization and helps to advance its mission. This is critical because so many libraries and librarians get into difficulty because they aren’t aligned with the larger organization. Some, indeed, have closed for this reason, according to studies. The fourth intelligence is strategic intelligence. How do we make meaning of the many choices that we have for the future and choose the best option for us? What’s the cost benefit analysis? What’s cost effectiveness? What is best for our user group in our communities? The fifth and final intelligence is probably the most important, actually – people intelligence. Sixty percent of the jobs in our field are not advertised, so how do we develop a network? How do we take a positive approach to developing relationships? How do we demonstrate interpersonal communication skills and work effectively in teams?

All critical to success in our organizations. At the conclusion of the program, our graduates have an opportunity to demonstrate these intelligences in a culminating experience or electronic portfolio. So we identify what you need to know throughout our program, in terms of knowledge, skills and aptitudes and attitudes, and then we provide you with an opportunity to demonstrate it at the conclusion of the program – quality assurance.

Transcripts

There’s always a lot of interest in pursuing careers in academic libraries in colleges and universities. In part, it’s because of our own experience, finding libraries as places of retreat, of learning, of discovery. Today, however, you’re not going to find so many librarians sitting behind a reference desk, as they will be teaching individuals and groups of students how to access, evaluate and use information effectively. They’re going to be dealing with vendors. They’re going to be negotiating site licenses for those specialized databases. They’re also going to be spread throughout the campus and embedded with research teams, providing support, embedded with faculty departments, supporting teaching and learning and research productivity. We also need to show return on investment, how we affect student learning, how we affect retention, how we affect research grants and scholarship.

This is a wonderful time to be connecting people with information and ideas in the academy, and at USC, we’re offering more courses in collaboration and partnership, education and training and measuring impact. This is a wonderful time to be an academic librarian or a librarian working in the academy.